How to Whiten Teeth and Improve Oral Hygiene
Coffee. Beer. Tea. Wine. All wonderful indulgences that, while making life a little more productive and fun, take one hell of a toll on our teeth.
There are endless treatments, gels, strips, and washes that claim to do the best job at keeping your teeth white and your mouth clean. Their claims may be true but can also be expensive and harsh on your gums.
After using Crest Whitestrips for an extended period of time in my younger years, I found my teeth were exponentially more sensitive to heat and cold and when I took a hiatus from them to re-build the enamel, my teeth didn’t stay as strong, nor as white. I also noticed that my gums were red and swollen for a few minutes after taking them off from extended use. Not good.
Mouth washes, like Listerine, are filled with harsh alcohol that overtime can dry out your mouth which creates a breeding ground for bacteria. Not good.
So, I looked into alternatives and developed a regimen to keep my teeth white, my gums healthy, and my mouth clean and free of toxins that stick from eating and drinking.
Activated Charcoal
Possibly one of the best multi-use products to have around the house. It works by absorbing toxins and gasses into its tiny pores to pull them out of something. In this case, your teeth.
After brushing with regular toothpaste, floss your teeth to create space for the charcoal to clean your teeth and gums from all angles. Next, dip your brush in the charcoal and brush for two minutes. Be careful, this stuff is messy but typically does not stain most surfaces or fabrics.
Rinse your mouth well with water to make sure you have cleaned all the charcoal out before the next step. (Note: it is not harmful to swallow the activated charcoal. Many people take this in capsule form as a dietary supplement.)
You can purchase bulk activated charcoal here.
Coconut Oil-Pulling
Ah, coconut oil. The holy grail of all purpose home supplies. I have used this for years as lotion, in my coffee, for cuts and scars, and now for teeth whitening and dental hygiene.
After you have brushed, flossed, and brushed again take 1 tablespoon of raw coconut oil and swirl it around your mouth for 15-20 minutes.
This is a great practice to do in the shower as you cannot talk or open your mouth for the time that you are oil-pulling.
Oil pulling gets its name because the coconut oil works to pull toxins out of your mouth and leave you with healthy, strong teeth. While this is a practice that I have recently started, oil pulling is said to date back to 5000 years ago.
I encourage you to try this regimen and guarantee within a week you will see a huge difference!
Doing this will also keep you from getting sick and will overall improve your health and wellness.
Happy Healthing,
Niki